ISO help/suggestions for beef tenderloin trimmings.

[buckytom]

i bought a whole, untrimmed australian beef tenderloin a coupla days ago for a song ($3.99/lb.).

it's a nice sized chunk o' meat, sort of resembling a club with a tapering handle. so far, i've found out that the club end is actually part of the sirloin, and the tapered handle is called the tail, even though it's actually from the short loin, towards the front of the beast.

now, i've bought trimmed (what i thought were) "whole" tenderloins before, which i simply sliced into steaks. but, i've never attacked the real whole, untrimmed thing with a knife before.

saturday night, i opened the shrink wrap just on the tapered end and sliced off the last 8 or 10 inches. i peeled off a small strip along the length, and sliced away the silverskin in between, eventually getting 3 nice thick filet mignons from the heart of the tenderloin, and a cup or so of good scraps.

my question is what can i do with all of the scraps; the long, thin, sinewy strip that runs the length of the thicker center strip or heart, and the bigger chunk of meat at the sirloin or club end?

i was thinking of simply roasting or grilling the larger chunks from the sirloin end, or maybe a roulade or wellington like thing, and possibly chopping up the tail end scraps for burgers. can ground beef be made with a knife, or does it need to be forced through a grinder?

all suggestions, especially recipes, are greatly appreciated.

 

[kitchenelf]

I like to make a burger out of that part left over bucky. I grind it in my KA meat grinder and season with:

I first make a paste out of kosher salt, garlic, and olive oil - a couple TBS roughly.

I then add about 1/4 cup or more of creamed horseradish, 1/4 cup or more of Worchestershire, and more olive oil. The olive oil REALLY keeps these burgers moist. The horseradish almost turns sweet once cooked and the Worchestershire is just a nice flavor without overpowering.

Make some big fat patties - GENTLY get a chunk of meat larger than a baseball and gently form into a patty - don't squeeze/compact the meat, gently form by taking your thumb and making an edge to the burger so it doesn't slope - it's flat like the edge of a steak.

Gently take your thumb and place an indention right in the middle about as big around as your thumb and almost to the bottom - this will keep your burger from shrinking.

Place patties in fridge for about 30 minutes.

When you grill turn once as these are delicate burgers. I like lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese and that's about it.

ANYWAY - there's one idea and you can always make burgers with just regular ground meat - you can get the extra lean stuff because the olive oil keeps them tender and moist.

 

[buckytom]

thanks elfie.

do you know if you can just work the meat with a knife to eventually get it into ground like consistency? or will it be too chunky and not adhere well enough.

i guess i could use a food processor, but i'd hate to have to try to dig one out. a knife and cutting board are always at the ready.

 

[kitchenelf]

That's a good question but I would say no to the knife. Food processor would be much better....sorry.

 

[Andy M.]

You could use the scraps to make a stroganoff.

 

[Aera]

Meat grinder or processor is the way to go if you want burgers, but it's a hassle and pain in the neck to clean it out, etc especially if it's for a small job. As someone suggested why not a stroganoff, or maybe even chop up and saute the scraps and add them to a tomato sauce to make a nice pasta sauce.

 

[college_cook]

We used to use our tenderloing scraps in a pasta dish at the resto. It's off the menu now, but it was def. a favorite of everyone. Sear your bite-sized scraps at high heat in a little bit of oil along with some sliced red pepper, then add a good handful of sliced shiitake mushrooms. Add some cream to the pan and reduce it all, seasoning additionally if necesary. Mount with a good dose of shiitake butter (dried shiitakes turned into powder in your food processor, combined with whipped butter. Frozen, this stuff keeps forever and it's to DIE for) and some cheese. We used to use a sonoma jack cheese, but any dry jack will do. Tosss with some pasta, probably penne or bow-ties (can't remember what they're really called right now), or maybe some fusili. This is a really good cold-weather dish, and one of those that can instantly become your favorite quick pasta to make.

 

[kitchenelf]

Meat grinder or processor is the way to go if you want burgers, but it's a hassle and pain in the neck to clean it out, etc especially if it's for a small job. As someone suggested why not a stroganoff, or maybe even chop up and saute the scraps and add them to a tomato sauce to make a nice pasta sauce.

I clean out my food grinder with a piece or two of bread to get the remainder of the meat out then I soak/clean immediately - works like a charm.

 

[auntdot]

I can understand bucky's reluctance to pull out the whizzer. We have a small kitchen and digging it out is a pain. The old one we had did not have all the doodads the lawyers insisted on engineering into the thing. It was much easier to clean.

A couple of thoughts.

How about a hash. Cut the meat with a knife but don't make it still a bit chunky. Taters and the rest of the suspects you would add to the olio would make a great hash.

Or a cottage pie with dices of the tender meat.

Or any kind of a chili. Again I like to make chili with chunks of beef. The meat from the tenderloin is not very robust in flavor so would go easy on the spices.

Gosh, would go great in any stir fry.

Enjoy.

 

[Jeekinz]

Steak and eggs, layer on a toasted croissant with cheddar, greens and horseradish, kabobs.....do you have a dog?

(sorry 'bout the Yanks)

 

[QSis]

(sorry 'bout the Yanks)

Yeah, me too, BT. Seriously. It's never anywhere near as exciting without them in the picture.

Lee

 

[Andy M.]

I expect the series with Clevland to be a tough one.

This weekend, Boston teams play Dallas and Cleveland.

It's a Cowboys and Indians weekend!

 

[buckytom]

thanks everyone, for your replies , as well as your sympathy.

qsis, what can i say? we may not have hit bottom yet. if the boss fires torre, i think there'll be a mutiny.

andy, the meat is very lean, so i was pretty wary of long cooking methods.
can stroganoff made quickly, or does it require a long braise? i've never made it before, but must have eaten it a thousand times.

aera, some kind of fresh red sauce, lika a pizzaola might work. good one.

college cook, thanks for the idea/info. i'm definitely going to make the shiitake butter, yum.
i hadn't thought of using it in a pasta dish as pasta is ever-present at our meals - as a side, but rarely as a full course. i have some fresh criminis at home, so they may be destined for this dish later this week.
you've given me another idea: to sear it, then toss with fusilli, oil, hot pepper flakes, and evoo.

auntdot, the stir fry, like steak kew, is a great idea. so is a cottage pie, or the hash. thank you!

jeekinz, steak and eggs it is! oh man, i'm drooling for it now. i'm working 'till 8am, so the house should smell good by 9-ish, tomorrow morning.


thanks again everyone.

 

[Andy M.]

BT, stroganov is a quick recipe intended for lean tender meat.


Beef Stroganov

1 T Powdered mustard
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
4 Tb Oil
2 Tb Butter
4 C mushrooms - sliced thin
4 C Onions - sliced thin
2 Lb Tenderloin or Sirloin
1 tsp Black pepper
1 Pt Sour cream

Trim all fat from the beef and slice into strips 0.25” by 1”.

Combine the mustard, half the sugar, and a pinch of salt with a Tb of hot tap water and stir to form a paste. Let it stand for 15 minutes.

Heat half the oil in a large fry pan or skillet. When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms and onions and stir. Cook covered over low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and discard the juices.

Place the remaining oil and the butter in a hot fry pan or skillet. Brown the meat rapidly over high heat. Cook the meat in several small batches to ensure rapid browning.

Return all the meat to the pan along with the cooked mushrooms and onions. Add the remaining salt, pepper, sugar and mustard paste.

Add the sour cream a spoonful at a time and mix in gradually until it is all heated through.

Serve over buttered egg noodles or rice.

This is supposed to be the classic recipe created for a Czar of Russia when he visited Siberia. All the meat was frozen solid and the chef could only break off small pieces. This dish was created to present those scraps of beef in the best possible way.

 

[Jeekinz]

I like hot sauce on my steak and eggs.

 

[Jeff G.]

Goulash, Stew meat?? Chili!!!, pepper steak... Steak and mushrooms..
kabobs..

 

[buckytom]

thank you very much, andy. that's exactly the kind of thing i was looking for. copied and printed for a future attempt, hopefully soon. i especially like the little added historical blurb at the end.

and thanks for the ideas, jeff. hmmm, steak and shrooms? there used to be a deli across from my job that made a sammich called a giacomo: hot roast beast, griddled onions and mushrooms, gravy, and cheese on a baguette. i could go for one right now.


i'm thinking i may need to buy another whole tenderloin soon. i'm going food shopping in the morning on the way home, back to the market where i got the first one at such a great price. if they're still on sale, i'm going to pick another one up, and then have to find room in a freezer to stow it.

 

[Jeekinz]

OMG...I thought only my family called it "roast beast'...lol (must be another Jersey thing)

Bucky, is that the Shop Rite tenderloin? $3.99lb

 

[GotGarlic]

OMG...I thought only my family called it "roast beast'...lol (must be another Jersey thing)

Ah, no We called it that in MI where I grew up and I hear it here in VA, too.

 

[justplainbill]

----Bulgogi----